MOBILE NEEDS STUDENT DRUG TESTING NOW

The recent article, "Baldwin County to expand student drug tests,"
demonstrates the exemplary leadership and cooperation being exhibited
by members of the Baldwin County School Board and the
superintendent's office. The parents of Baldwin County
schoolchildren also deserve credit for willingly recognizing and
accepting the need to take strong action to reverse the several
decades-long trend of increasing drug use by children.

National and local data clearly show that more than 30 percent of our
kids openly admit to using illegal drugs. Our region of the country
is a crossroads for drug trafficking and lots of the illegal
contraband ends up on our streets and in our kids' pockets.

Children need adults (parents/teachers/community leaders) who will
provide them with "tough love" and establish rules and punishment
designed to keep them out of harm's way. We see that happening in
Baldwin County. We wonder why it is not happening in Mobile County.

It is time for the Mobile County school system's leadership to take a
courageous stand and begin the process of drug-testing children. The
parents of Mobile County public school students should demand it.
Failure to act now will only exacerbate a problem which has already
reached epidemic proportions.

Our local jails are full of young people who failed to receive proper
guidance and discipline when they were teenagers. Would you rather
spend your tax dollars on building and staffing more jails, or on
preventive measures that will keep our children on the path to a
successful future?

George E. Krietemeyer

Mobile